(Hey there guys! So... this chapter is an... intermission chapter, you could say. There is a very good reason why I've done this chapter the way I have, so I hope I've made that part clear. I love the song I used, my favorite version is the one featuring the cast of American Idiot. As always, let me know what you think!)
Chapter 11/ 21 Guns
"Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away and you feel yourself suffocating?
21 Guns – Green Day
If it were up to Mikoto Suoh, he would burn the Green Clan and its King to the ground to end this all now. But Izumo, knowing Mikoto a little too well, caught on to the Red King's thoughts and reasoned with him. The blonde had one good argument: Mikoto's nephew. The Red King would never say it aloud but Izumo was right. But Mikoto also knew that Yata would be taken care of when his Sword of Damocles finally did fall. In all honesty, it was Yata that had kept Mikoto's power under control and probably was the only reason Mikoto had lived this long. Raising a kid was the very last thing Mikoto ever thought he would do and was very lost the first year or so that Yata had been dropped on him. He himself had only been 15 years old, Yata's father was in such despair that he apparently hadn't taken this into consideration. Losing his sister like that though had brought out Mikoto's short temper and his protectiveness of his friends and nephew. The day he had been chosen as the Red king was the second most surprising and least likely thing to happen in his life. But no matter what happened, Izumo Kusanagi had been by his side to help and support him.
Besides the annoying prick Reisi in his world, Mikoto couldn't really complain about much. But it seemed the Green King was looking for attention and was going about it in a large way. Right now, the Red Clan was in the safety of the bar and Mikoto was biding his time to attack.
"I was just given a pretty decent offer, but I don't want you to get all huffy about it," Izumo said while lighting a cigarette. Mikoto grunted.
"It seems the target of the Green Clan isn't you and Reisi, it's the youngsters you two have. The Blue King would like to talk directly to Nagare, with you there also," Izumo explained calmly. Mikoto's eyes narrowed.
"What the hell does he want with Yata?" the Red King asked sharply. Izumo shrugged.
"That's what Reisi wants to find out," he replied. Mikoto sighed and rolled his eyes. This was turning out way more annoying than it had to be.
"Let's just storm the damn place," Mikoto grumbled. Izumo chuckled lightly.
"Normally I would agree with you. But seeing as this has nothing to do with you, I think you should reconsider," the blonde offered lightly. Mikoto grunted again and lit his own cigarette to buy some time. The red head looked around the bar and his eyes landed on his nephew, who was trying to stay in conversation with other clansman. Mikoto could tell he was nervous though, the boys knees were bouncing like rubber balls. Something spooked Yata today, which made Mikoto think this was a bit more serious than a fight between clans.
"Fine. But we do it tonight. And you're coming with me," Mikoto's deep voice was quiet and his gaze was still on Yata so the Red King didn't see the relief on Izumo's face.
"Of course," the blonde chimed, going upstairs to make a call. Mikoto sighed again, rolled his eyes, and reached for a bottle of whiskey. There was no way he'd be able to hand the Blue King stone sober.
A little over an hour later and Mikoto was leaning against the wall surrounding Scepter 4, waiting with Izumo for the Blue King and his lieutenant. The only thing Izumo said was that Scepter 4 had managed to get a hold of the Green King and get him to agree to a face to face.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you for agreeing to this," Reisi greeted them both with a stiff nod, Seri cautiously eyeing both men behind him. Mikoto grumbled without looking at either of them, Izumo offered a gentle smile.
"The place of meeting is an empty warehouse, a few miles from here. I do hope you don't mind walking," Reisi explained while starting in the direction they needed to go. Mikoto caught the shadow of a smirk on Reisi's lips. Cocky bastard, the Red King thought, since Reisi knew Mikoto and Izumo walked everywhere.
The group stayed silent the whole way, only Mikoto's wallet chain clinking gently or the sound of Izumo's lighter being flicked open and closed. Reisi led the way with Seri next to him, Izumo walked behind the Blue King with Mikoto by his side.
Reisi finally stopped, rather suddenly, a the corner of the block they were walking. Mikoto looked up to see four warehouses in front of them, all abandoned. Mikoto rolled his gaze to Reisi, who was looking at each building with thought.
"Well?" the Red King grumbled with annoyance. The Blue King flashed a sarcastic smile and released his aura, his Sword of Damocles glittering above them. A few moments later and another Sword appeared above the second warehouse. Reisi drew his power in and his Sword disappeared.
"Very well then, let's go. Mikoto, don't do anything stupid," Reisi commented as he led them to the warehouse. Mikoto grunted and clenched his fist that was shoved in his pocket.-
Reisi Munakata was a fairly simple man, though the people around him didn't seem to see this. Reisi saw the world logically, he didn't over complicate things, and emotion wasn't something he wasted energy on. This didn't change much when Reisi took Saruhiko in, but he did know the motions to go through to make an infant feel parental love. He took care of the physical needs of the child, built a parental trust with him, and made sure the child was learning what he needed at every age. Reisi knew that the smiles he couldn't hide and the growing bubble in his chest were what fathers felt for their children, but Saruhiko wasn't really his child. So he set these emotions aside once the boy became older than a toddler.
Luckily Saruhiko wasn't fussy, needy, or much of anything that a normal child would be. He was quiet, observant, extremely smart, and self reliant. He liked spending time with Reisi in his office, probably because the two didn't have a need to talk.
Still, being protective of Saruhiko was not something Reisi could ignore. So when any threat, large or small, came against the boy; Reisi found himself a bit more on edge them usual. So finding out another King had his eyes on Saruhiko make Reisi go into a mindset not common of being the Blue King: he would take out anyone, King or not, if it meant Saruhiko's safety.
For right now though, Reisi was handling this situation like the many others he had before: hopefully civil conversation to resolve the issue at hand. But Reisi was fully prepared to fight if it meant a resolution wasn't met to his liking, which was to have Saruhiko left alone.
When the group finally made it to the warehouse, the Green King was sitting cross legged on the floor. In the back corner Reisi could see what would be considered Nagare's second: Yukari Mishakuji. It appeared no one else was around.
"Good evening, Nagare," Reisi started with a very small bow. Nagare took in the four people in front of him before responding.
"Seeing as you have come with just the four of you, I would say it is a good evening," the Green King's voice was cheery, but in an odd was that reminded Reisi of slime or something equally unpleasant.
"We agreed to meet for the following two reasons: to resolve this conflict and for information of your intentions," Reisi didn't need to speak loudly for his words to have impact, nor did he have to change his facial expression to show how serious he was. The Green King laughed.
"The conflict gave me what my intention was: to get both of your attention," Nagare answer lightly with triumph in his tone, a strange glitter in his eye that would have made any normal human shiver.
"Well, you have it. Get on with it then," Mikoto growled before Reisi could respond. Fool. He thought quickly. Another laugh from Nagare.
"Rude as always," Nagare chimed sarcastically.
"In the respect of being Kings and leaders, I thought I should give you a heads up that I specifically want Yata Misaki and Fushimi Saruhiko to join my ranks. Both boys have something that I find lacking in my clan, and we all know my clan is much more fun than either of yours," Nagare finished with a sadistic smile. Reisi found himself wanting to reach for his sword but stayed still. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Izumo move closer to Mikoto, ho was frowning deeply with a flare in his eyes.
"What in the world would make you think either of us would agree to such a ridiculous idea?" Reisi asked more calmly than he felt.
"Oh but you see, you don't have to agree. Those two boys are old enough to make up their own mind and their own choices," the Green King said with a smirk.
"Yata has no reason to leave the Red Clan," Mikoto sneered, his presence beginning to feel dangerous. Reisi needed to keep this situation calm otherwise Mikoto would decimate all four warehouses fairly easily.
"You are correct in that regard, Green King. But what is it that you could offer them that they don't already have?" Reisi asked cautiously.
"Something that neither of you are will to give and something they both desperately want: freedom," Nagare drew out the last word for effect, which did hit something in the Blue King. Although Mikoto seemed confused by this, Izumo had to hide his shock by looking to the ground. Reisi cleared his throat gently.
"You have said your desires, Nagare. Now here is mine: leave Saruhiko alone. If you can agree to this and follow it, I will take no further action against you," Reisi looked the Green King in the eye, who chuckled. Mikoto took a step forward.
"No matter how much you but Yata, he won't join you so you might as well stop trying," the Red King had seemed to calm down.
"If things turn out the way I think they will, Yata and Saruhiko will being coming to me of their own accord." Nagare warned with a smile before disappearing into the floor itself, his laugh echoing against the walls. Reisi saw Yukari take a step back, phasing through the wall and disappearing.
"Fucking cowards," Mikoto grumbled, lighting a cigarette with a flick of his fingers. It was clear to Reisi that Mikoto thought he had nothing to worry about, a feeling not shared with Izumo, whose mannerisms had changed to somewhat paranoid.
"Well, that was pleasant. But it sounds like our clans have nothing to worry about for the most part," Reisi said, though he wasn't convinced of this himself. He currently was going through his mind, trying to find out what would make Saruhiko leave on his own, but was coming up empty so far.
"Whatever," Mikoto grumbled and left, Izumo stealing a glance to the Blue King and Seri before following.
"Sir, I'm not sure I fully understand what the Green King is trying to do," Seri spoke for the first time, her tone gentle.
"I"m not sure I'd be able to help you understand, Ms. Awashima. If I were to put a label on this situation, I would say it's personal," Reisi replied with concern touching his voice. Seri furrowed her brow but didn't say anything more.-